This is a song from our B-sides collection

The first of two gigs this week!

I've always loved Del Amitri ever since I heard "Nothing Ever Happens" back in '90 but I've never managed to catch them live. I didn't really go to gigs back in the 90s and whenever I looked at ticket prices for their various reunion tours in later years, they were always surprisingly, nay, eye-wateringly, expensive - and it felt like it could be a bit of a risky purchase. But either they've got enough cash now or (more likely) everyone else has just caught up so the prices seemed more reasonable for this tour and they were playing the Shepherd's Bush Empire which I remember liking, so I thought I'd give them a go.

Given it was a chilly night and the audience was on the somewhat elderly side, there was a lengthy queue waiting for admittance when I rocked up - but I also knew there was quite a pleasant Brewdog just around the corner and this seemed like a much better option. And so it turned out because one pint later I was able to stroll in unimpeded and still get an unreserved seat with a reasonable view (my days of standing at gigs are over, methinks).

Before we got to Del Amitri, we had the support act - the marvellously monikered Mandrake Handshake. They were a seven piece psychedelic funk outfit with a vocalist who sounded quite like Siouxsie - I thought they made quite an interesting sound, but I'd be intrigued to know who exactly decided they would be just the thing that a Del Amitri audience would be looking for. Mostly people were nice enough about them and applauded politely but the guy behind me was amusingly irate about the whole thing - "Oooh - look at those kindergarten students who've stumbled onto the stage! They could have put a bunch of drunk monkeys up there and they'd have made a better sound". I thought they were OK though - they were making the noises they wanted to make and I've certainly heard worse.

Fortunately the audience (who made me look young, except for the middle-aged kids who'd come along to make sure Mum & Dad got home safely after their big night out) had half an hour to get a cup of cocoa and calm down before the lights went out and the main attraction wandered onto the stage, looking pretty sprightly for a bunch of guys in their 60s. And they pretty much got straight down to work - they opened with one I didn't know off their '21 album, but mostly it was hit after hit from their first four albums from '89-'97. There was also very little inter-song banter, which was a shame because Justin was quite amusing when he put his mind to it and I'm sure he has some stories to tell - we were lucky enough to get one about appearing on Wogan, which was exactly what the crowd wanted! Rock and roll or what, kids?

Any concerns I had about the gig beforehand were around Justin's voice and I'm pleased to report it's still a lot better than I was expecting. He can't quite hit the high notes that he used to be able to, but he adjusts accordingly - and it was also notable how his range improved as the show progressed. The musicianship of the group as a whole was impressive with everything being very tight (except for the odd bum note on the accordion that all the rest of the group took great delight in pointing out).

Del Amitri are slightly unusual in having two guitarists who take turns in leading - Iain Harvie who looks like he's stepped out of a 70s metal band and Kris Dollimore who looks like he's just retired after an uneventful career as an accountant. And they have amusingly contrary styles, with Iain effortlessly impressing (he'd fit in well with Jason Isbell's band from last week) and Kris shredding it in the style of a sixth former out to impress the ladies (failing that, he'll always have accountancy to fall back on).

Given my history with the band, it was always going to be the old stuff that impressed me the most and "Always The Last To Know", "Driving With The Brakes On", "Just Like A Man", "The Ones That You Love Lead You Nowhere" and "Here And Now" were my favourite pre-encore numbers, although the newer tracks fitted in well, with "Lonely" jumping out at me nicely as one I didn't know. But the best songs were saved for the encores with lovely stripped back versions of "Nothing Ever Happens" and "Be My Downfall" sending everyone happy out into the chilly night. All in all, it was a lovely trip back down memory lane in a great venue which everyone seemed to enjoy (although I'm sure the guy behind me would have found something to complain about).